Pain, Promises, Penelope
by dabombbritt
Summary: Pain, Promises, Penelope is the sequel to Lies, Love, Life. After a terrible tragedy strikes Ocean Park hospital, the patients and staff are left grasping at reality. When tensions arise among friends and new found challenges bring on an onslaught of fear for the future, will the Red Bands remain together or will the intensity of life and death prove to be too much?
**_Pain, Promises, Penelope_ is the sequel to the popular Red Band Society Fanfiction, _Lies, Love, Life._ After a terrible tragedy strikes Ocean Park hospital, the patients and staff are left grasping at reality. When tensions arise among friends and new found challenges bring on an onslaught of fear for the future, will the Red Bands remain together or will the intensity of life and death prove to be too much? And what will happen when an unlikely source forces new people into the Red Bands' life? **

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 **Link to _Lies, Love Life: s/10851169/1/Lies-Love-Life_**

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"He's been like that for days now." Emma bites her lip glancing once again towards Jordi's side of the room. "It's really starting to bum me out."  
"Yeah man he hasn't moved except to get up to pee or get his guitar." Dash adds.  
"I understand he's upset that Bee, died," Kara hesitates "but so are the rest of us."  
"Yeah but he loved her." Leo mumbles.  
"You know I can hear you guys?" I finally speak up annoyed with their gossip. All eyes turn to me. Leo smiles and hobbles over to me followed by the rest of the crew.  
"So he speaks!" Leo exclaims and I roll my eyes.  
"How are you feeling Jordi?" Emma asks. I glare at her.  
"Like shit." Everyone is silent for a moment and only Kara is brave enough to speak.  
"Do you want to talk? You know, about Bee?" My head snaps up and shout at her.  
"We don't talk about that!" I hiss. "Ever."  
"Jordi chill, she's just trying to be a friend." Dash tells me.  
"Yeah," I scoff getting up from bed, slinging my guitar across my shoulder. "Some friends." I push past them and storm out into the hallway. Nurse Jackson is typing away at the nurses' station and her eyes light up when she sees me.  
"Look who's up and moving." She teases walking around to hug me, my body tenses up. "How are you feeling?" She asks.  
"I need fresh air." I pull away and keep walking.  
"Be careful Jordi!" She calls after me. "Your heart may not be used to so much work yet." After my cardiac arrest everything's seemed to go in slow-mo. It turned out my chemo dosage was adjusted a little too much causing my body freaked out. I had been feeling sick for a few days leading up to the accident but I never mentioned it. I was too worried about.. Bee. I let my feet lead me down to my once favorite spot. I stare at the shimmering creek, babbling along. It's warm today so I slip off my socks and shoes, sliding my feet into the cool water.

It's silent, my thoughts are silent. _God I wish Bee was here._ I shake my head and pick up my guitar. I strum random chords, each beautiful on their own but nothing wants to come together. Everything is just numb. My head is always fuzzy and it feels like I can never do anything but put one foot in front of the other, or run my calloused fingertips over the guitar strings over and over again.

" _I love you Jordi Palacios."_ I snap my head up and look around for Bee but of course she's nowhere to be seen. She's gone. My hands hover over over my guitar, suddenly all energy escaped my body and all I can do is sit and stare at the creek.

"I love you -" I murmur

"Jordi Palacios." My breath catches but I know that I'm just hearing things. I keep my eyes trained on the steady motion of the creek, refusing to get my hopes up.

"Jordi?" The voice says softer.

"Go away." I shake my head. "I know you're not real." Then comes a hesitant laugh.

"Sometimes I feel like life has been a nightmare and I'm just waiting to be woken up." The voice says with a pang of sadness. I slowly turn around to see a woman standing behind me. Once she sees my face, her lips force into a sad smile. "You are Jordi. The little boy used to tell me about you."

"I'm sorry." I mutter getting up, anxious to get back to the solidarity of my room. "I think you have me mistaken, I don't know you." I begin to walk away but she calls after me.

"You know my daughter!" She says desperate to stop me. I stop in my tracks, turning around to look at the woman. Short light blonde hair, fair complex, and familiar ice blue eyes. My heart leaps into my throat. She smiles again at me. "You know Phoebe Johnson." I stare cold and hard at her. My heart swollen in my chest and heat rushing to my cheeks. I can't find something acceptable to say but my mouth opens anyway

"Knew," My words lash out harshly. "I _knew_ Phoebe Johnson." I'm ashamed of my tone and quickly turn around and march back up the hill towards the hospital. I hear Mrs. Johnson shouting after me but she soon gives up and watches me silently go. Up and up the hill, a pain in my weary legs and an ache in my broken heart.

 **TIME SKIP**

There's a knock on my door but I don't look to see who is there. Footsteps approach and Nurse Jackson sits beside me on my bed. For once she is struggling, trying to find something to say to me.

"Jordi, we've done a lot of discussing," She begins. "and everyone thinks it would be a good idea for you to start seeing someone who can help you work through your grief." I'm angry at her, I'm angry at them, I'm angry at myself.

"No." I tell her.

"We aren't giving you a choice." She argues and the tension in the room builds. "This is now part of your treatment, we don't want you to get sick-"

"Sick?" I scoff. "Sick, depressed, like Bee. You don't want me to end up like Bee." The sentences sear and burn their way through my throat. "Well let's not forget how great of job a shrink did with her!"

"That's enough Jordi!" She snaps at me. Clearly I'm not the only one still sensitive on the subject. She recoils after her outburst and shakes her head. "Jordi, you have to go, okay? I'm sorry." She gets up without looking at me and turns to leave. She pauses at the door like she wants to say something else, but she can't. Frustrated she lowers her glare and walks off to the Nurse's Station.

The numbness is back, I physically can't handle all of the emotions coursing through my body, it's easier just to ignore it all. I lay back and stare at the ceiling, waiting, praying for sleep to come. But instead my eyes are locked open with salty, hot, angry tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.

 **Bee's POV**

I'm up in the viewing room, looking down at him in his room. I've never seen him so upset. I've never felt so far away.

"You okay?" Claire comes steps up from behind but gives me my space.

"Yeah, I guess, I don't know." I mumble. I feel like there should be a heaviness in my heart but I'm fine. 'I guess the human part of me just wants to feel guilty, and sad."

"It'll go away soon."

"I know." I shake my head. "It's so hard to watch him like this though, and it's my fault. I'm the one who left him."

"Phoebe listen to yourself." Claire tries to console me.

"I know." I whine. I still suck at being an angel, I have too much of a connection to the earthly world, to Jordi. "I just wish there was something that I could do, something to help him." I mumble.

"You know how things are up here." Claire laughs. "You just gotta let things happen, besides you'll know what to do when the time comes." I pull up one side of my mouth in a half-hearted smile and step closer to the glass showing Jordi's room. I place my hand slowly against the cool surface and the image slowly fades away, signaling me that Jordi's fallen asleep. I still stare at the empty window, I can't bring myself to walk away. Just then I hear a thrill of laughter outside and my white dress billows at my ankles as I turn around quickly.

A group of children race by joyfully. Still their giggles linger in the air, bringing a smile to my face. Suddenly a light my head and I beam at Claire.

"Claire," I smile eager to tell her my plan but when I glance at her she just nods her head, a grin spreading from ear to ear.


End file.
